Author's note: This was written sometime in the middle of season 2, before Sandboy aired, so please read with that context. I made up some mechanics for myself that have since been debunked. Just roll with it. ;)

Plagg was bored. God, what a boring day. He had gotten used to spending a lot of time in a bag, and that's fine, but today from sunup to sundown, between school, an after school project, Chinese lessons, and piano lessons which got moved to accommodate a photoshoot later in the week, there was not a moment where someone didn't have eyes on Adrien, and so not a moment when Plagg could leave the bag. He glanced over at the sleeping boy. After a boring day, Plagg would normally just find something to do in the room. He'd gotten pretty good at both of the arcade games, and not so bad at the dancing game, even if he did "dance" like a guy with one foot. However, after today, more than anything he needed to roam. The kitchen was certain to be empty this time of night, and kitchens were always entertaining. Plagg slowly and quietly phased through the door. No one should be around, but a kwami always had to be careful. Floating low and keeping to the shadows, he headed for the kitchen. Footsteps. Huh. Those are Gabriel's shoes. What is Gabe doing up? This might be interesting. Gabriel's shoes were headed for his office. Plagg followed at a distance, keeping low, and phased slowly into the room, choosing a remote corner away from the desk. Plagg watched Gabriel walk over to the desk and tap his computer awake.

He saw Gabriel move his hand over the screen and step back with a hand to his chin. Gabriel nodded, turned around, and used his fingers to poke holes into the portrait of Mrs. Agreste. Stunned, Plagg watched as Gabriel slowly disappeared into the floor. He waited a beat then zipped over to the portrait, where upon closer inspection he could make out the moving sections. His eyes fell to the floor and he could see where it opened. This is just weird. I have a feeling I better get back to the kid.

Feeling unsettled, Plagg retraced his trail back to Adrien's room, taking a few shortcuts along the way. An idea of what this could mean kept trying to coalesce in his mind, but he really didn't want to look at it closely right now. One thing was for sure though: this needed more investigating. He phased through Adrien's door and not a moment later, Adrien's Akumalert™ app chimed on his phone. Plagg pointedly ignored the idea that gained further definition when he went to tap Adrien between the eyes.

Adrien's eyes fluttered open in confusion at the noise as he tried to swipe Plagg away from his face. Then understanding cut through the sleepy haze and he groaned loudly in frustration. "I'm up, I'm up! Plagg, make it stop, I'm getting up!" Plagg wordlessly floated over to the phone and stopped the alarm.

Adrien weighed his options on the off chance that he couldn't maintain transformation for the whole trip home. He threw on flannel pants, a t-shirt, and a pair of sandals. After today he decided he didn't care what he might get seen in, as long as he was basically dressed. He was NOT going to get stuck walking home with bare feet again. "Alright, let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep." He looked over at Plagg and yawned "Claws out." As he hopped out the window, mind full of hope that this one would be quick, easy, and maybe actually deserved his frustration at least a little, he realized Plagg hadn't said a word to him. Huh.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Pound it!"

Ladybug looked around from the dark rooftop on this now-quiet night. "Wow, Kitty." She shook her head. "It's a really good thing that one was fairly quick and easy. I know it's late, but that fight seemed particularly rough on you."

Chat Noir yawned widely, having given up on being discreet. "I'm sorry, My Lady. Today was just really long with not enough cat naps. I'm sorry you had to pick up my slack."

Ladybug shrugged her shoulders. "No worries, Chat. If it had been a harder one, it might have been a problem, but you just go home and get some rest."

"You want to come tuck me in, Bugaboo?" Chat smarmed, leaning into her space, but Ladybug could see the wide grin was taking extra effort.

Ladybug patted his cheek. "Just try not to fall off a building on your way home, okay?"

Chat Noir bowed low. "I would do anything, including not fall to my doom, at your request." Then he saluted and vaulted away. Ladybug was now more certain Chat must be exhausted; he hardly ever left first.

She walked over to the sweet old lady and handed her back her dentures. "Here you go ma'am. Please try to be more careful of what you eat while you're getting used to those. They can be really tricky," she said with a bright smile before escorting her home.

Much to his relief, Chat made it back to the mansion fully transformed. He climbed into his room through the open window, dropped his transformation, closed the window snugly, kicked off the sandals, and immediately burrowed back into his bed. Remembering himself, he poked his head out from under the covers. "You've still got cheese in the mini fridge, right, Plagg?"

"Yeah, I've got it," Plagg responded.

Adrien faintly noted the lack of theatrics he usually would hear from the hungry kwami and resolved to check up on him in the morning. Probably just the long day, he mused to himself. Adrien was asleep before he had another thought.

Plagg, however, was wide awake. If his hunch from earlier was right, where would Gabriel be now? Would he still be in… the floor? Would he also be back in his room asleep? Plagg would bet his best cheese that the bastard slept soundly after the fight was over. Plagg gobbled up his Camembert and floated out of Adrien's room to a dark corner in the main part of the house and just listened. Nothing. He hated doing it. The man gave him the creeps after all, but Plagg needed to be sure he wasn't going to run into him while investigating. With that in mind he very carefully meandered his way to Gabriel's room. He had never actually been there, since it wasn't a place Adrien ever went, but he knew where it was. Sure enough, when he got there it was dark and Gabriel was in his large bed breathing evenly. Damn that man. Plagg stayed near the door, shaking in silent fury watching him sleep peacefully after what he did, or tried to do, to his own son. That is, if Plagg was right. Time to go find out.

Plagg floated back into the now-dark office, largely forgoing stealth. Both Agrestes were asleep and there wouldn't be any staff around this time of night. He phased through the iris-like entryway in the floor and the platform underneath it. On the other side, he found himself in a shaft that first went down, then across toward the wall where the portrait hangs, and then… up? Up he went, until he reached an iris-like exit to the floor above him.

Taking a deep breath, he phased through that one, too, and was immediately greeted by the sound of dozens of delicate wings gently fluttering. The white butterflies were scattered all over the floor. They seemed passive but waiting. Or maybe I'm just getting the creeps. He looked around the nearly-empty domed room and gasped when he saw Nooroo asleep atop an open book on a pedestal. Plagg was struck by how much he was reminded of a butterfly mounted with a pin in a collection.

Plagg zipped over to his friend. "Nooroo," Plagg hissed as he tried to gently wake the kwami.

Nooroo jumped. "Yes Mast… PLAGG?! Plagg, what are you doing here? It IS the boy, isn't it? It's so good to see your face! Is Tikki here? Does Master Fu know where I am? You've got to get me out of here!"

"Easy, Nooroo, easy! I'm the only one who knows. The boy doesn't even know. I'm going to get you out, but we have to have a plan. You know we only have one shot at this, because if I bring you with me now and we can't get the brooch, you'll just be back here again! Then who knows where he'll bring you... AND he'll probably realize Adrien was in on it."

"Oh, thank the Guardians! He makes me stay in this room. I left the building once just to look around and get my bearings." Nooroo shrunk in on himself. "That was a mistake. He was pretty upset."

Plagg eyed his friend warily. "Nooroo, what did he do to you?"

Nooroo shrugged. "Truthfully, there's not much he can do besides keep me here and, well, not feed me. But, Plagg, I've been Awake for, what, at least a year now? Gabriel is the only one I've talked to or even seen this whole time. He's a crafty one. Manipulative and cold. So cold. You can't leave me here long. I'd never tell him what I know on purpose." Nooroo turned away, dropping his head. "But he won't be fooled for long. He has a way of getting things out of you." Tears tracked down Nooroo's cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, but you really shouldn't trust me here for long."

Plagg grabbed Nooroo's shoulder and turned him to look him in the eye. "Hey, listen to me. No one blames you. If anybody else understands what kind of a person Gabriel is, it's me! I've been watching that piece of work raise his son. Let's just say it's a good thing I've been there with him or who knows how the kid would be turning out." Plagg rubbed his chin and looked around. "I've got to let him sleep tonight; he's too exhausted to be any good for us right now. Then, maybe another night for planning. I'll do my best to get you out of here by the following night. With a little of Tikki's luck, this will all be over soon."

Plagg spent the rest of the visit learning everything he could about Gabriel's habits with Nooroo. Once he was satisfied he had all the information he could get, he promised Nooroo again that he would return soon and left to join Adrien and sleep.